Arthur Courtney is a commander without a ship and without purpose. So when old friend Captain Henry Harrison offers him a place onboard HMS Lion, bound to join Nelson’s fleet in the Mediterranean, he is eager for the opportunity.

But onboard discipline has broken down; Harrison is not the captain he once was. Added to this, Courtney has agreed to a troubling deal in order to serve: marriage to Harrison’s sister-in-law, Tabitha Sandham. He fears he will have to choose between his career and his love for Hiram Nightingale.

In England, Nightingale’s life is shaken by the death of his father and by the re-appearance of the Lion, the ship that caused him such pain. When threatening notes are received at his and Courtney’s cottage on the Isle of Wight, he vows to find out the truth behind them.

But it appears there is more trouble on the island than simply the threatening messages. So while Courtney defends the sea, Nightingale must help protect England’s shores from calamity.

A stunning and romantic historical adventure of the sea from the author of Leeward, a Times Historical Novel of the Year 2023.